Musical instrument



Nov. 4, 1924.

R. W. FARR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed July 5, 1922 2 Shana-Sheet 1 Arm/Mrs Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

RICHARD WILSON ,PARR, OF EDGEMERE, IDAHO.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

i'Application filed July 3, 1922. Serial No. 572,438.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD PARK,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Edgemere, in the county of Bonner I and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements-in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement inmusicalinstruments of the viol type, such as violins, violas, cellos, bass violins or the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument of this type in which "the strains set upby the tensioning of the strings are so distributed andresolved as to tend'to main'tain'the parts of the instrument properly associated instead of tending to force them apart, thereby eliminating the use of reinforcing blocks within. the sound box or 'bodyof the violin, the: organization alsobeing such asto eliminate the tail pin and tail block whereby the tonal qualities as well as the mechanical construction of the instrument are enhanced.

Another important object is to provide an instrument of this character in which the back and belly of the sound box or body are constituted by sympathetic plates having like sound properties and constructed from the same stock or block of wood in such manner that in the assembled instrument like grains of the same wood will be opposed in the back and belly whereby the plates will be in strict sympathy.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in certain novel features of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a violin embodying the invention; 7

Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of the belly viewed from the underside;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the body or sound box with the belly and finger board removed;

Figure 4 is a tra entary detail perspective view of the necl plate and finger board;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in plan of a portion of the violin with the belly removed and illustrating the construction of one of the bouts;

Figure 6 is a fragn'ientary view taken in longitudinal central vertical section through the violin; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the manner in which the synr pathetic plates constituting the back and belly are produced froi'n a stock or block of wood.

Referring to the drawings wherein for the sake of illustration the invention is shown embodied in violin, the numeral 10 designates the soundboX or body of the violin including as usual a back 11 and a belly 1:2 associated in the usual manner-with a rib or side wall 13. The back .1 and belly 12 'morise sympathetic plates formed of the maternal and are so constructed that t grain of the belly corresponds exactly to the grain of the back so that a vertical plane passing through the violin when it is in a horizontal position will intersect identical growth rings of the wood in the back and belly. Thus the plates being of identical construction and having like sound properties are in sympathy and will enhance the purity and volume of the tone. The sympathetic plates constituting the back and belly are preferably constructed from the same block of wood WV as shown in Fig. 7, the block being cut or severed longitudinally as at S and then routed out, as indicated at R to form the sympathetic plates which later constitute the back and the belly. Any suitable wood of any species, either hard or soft may be used. Integrally formed with the belly 12 is a longitudinally extending bass bar 12 The bass bar 12 being one piece with the belly 12- obviates imperfect vibration and aids in enhancing the tonal qualities of the instrument. By referring to Figure 5 it will be seen that the bouts 13 are formed without the use of blocks as such reinforcement is unneces sary as will hereinafter appear. This is another feature tending to enhance the tone of the instrument.

A lip 14 is integrally formed with the back 11 at the forward end thereof and provides a seat upon which the base 15 of the neck 16 rests, the neck also having formed thereon a shoulder 17 undercut as at 18 and fitting in a notch 19 cut in the forward end of the belly 12. A finger board 20 is associated with the neck 16 in the usual manner.

A tail piece 25 is provided and is secured of the instrument. The tail fastening means comprises a single flexible fastening element 26 suchas gut, wire or the like formed to provide a loop and having its ends secured to the tail piece 25 as at 27 and having its two strands 28 extended over a wear piece 29 and down through holes or openings 30 provided in the rear end or edge of the back 11 the holes 30 being spaced and the bight 31.

of the loop engaging the portion of the back between the holes 30. The back may be slightly extended at the back it this be considered necessary or holes or grooves such as indicated at 32 may be provided in the rib 13 and of course arranged to register with the holes 30 of the back 11. When the strings of the violin are tightened up with this form of fastening the strain will tend to more firmly associate the back belly and ribs instead of tending to pull these elements apart as when the tail pin and block are provided. This feature also enables the elimination of the block now employed at the bouts and also the block now employed at the neck.

This distribution of the strain together with the elimination of the blocks and the provision of the sympathetic plates constituting the back and belly produces an instrument endowed with tonal qualities of rare strength beauty and volume.

I claim:

1. In a musical instrument, a sound box having a back and a belly constituted by severed portions of the same piece of wood, the back and belly being so arranged that the severed portions of identical growth rings are disposed opposite each other in the assembly.

2 In a musical instrument, a sound box including a back, a tail piece and a flexible element directly secured to the tail piece and directly secured to the back for connecting the tail piece and the back.

3. In a musical instrument of the character descrlbed, a sound box including a back shaving spaced holes at its rear end a tail piece and a flexible connecting element looped and extending through the holes of the back, the bight of the loop directly engaging the back between said holes and the ends of the flexible element being directly secured tothe tail piece.

4-. In a musical instrument, a sound box having a belly provided with a bass bar, the belly and the bass bar being constructed of a single piece of wood whereby the bass bar and the portion of the belly with which it is associated are constituted of identical growth rings so as to be in strict sympathy'thereby enhancing the strength, volume and purity of the tone.

RICHARD WILSON PARK. 

